In Wikipedia articles regarding disturbance of consciousness, although they cannot answer the question of what is consciousness, they introduce the fact that the mechanisms causing disturbance of consciousness are: awakening (which presents in the brainstem reticular formation) and cognition (which presints in the cerebral cortex). Therefore, if the main seat of awakening is the brainstem reticular formation, the question about the main seat of sleep is naturally asked.
I firmly refuse a conventional standpoint. In other words, disturbance of consciousness is derived from conscious neurons and the very conscious neurons present in the brainstem reticular formation. In any situation, various disturbances of consciousness are caused when a part or a major part of the conscious neurons in the brainstem reticular formation are functionally or organically damaged.
Sleep is the opposite of awakening. If the main seat of consciousness is captured by awakening, and sleep becomes the opposite of consciousness, a strange combination is produced. Incidentally, an individual has consciousness even in a sleeping state (i.e., a conscious neuron is alive). However, when an individual is regarded as not having consciousness, he/she is understood as being dead. The role of "non-" conscious neurons becomes important when the question about psychological state (mental state) is asked as follows: if an individual has consciousness and is alive, is he/she awake or sleeping?
1. Consciousness is the activity of conscious neurons. The whereabouts of consciousness is to be determined.
2. Disturbance of consciousness is a decline in the activity of conscious neurons. When the activity of conscious neurons declines, various levels of disturbance of consciousness are caused.
3. Awakening is the activity of conscious neurons and non-conscious neurons related to conscious neurons.
4. Awakening degree is the degree of influence over conscious neurons by the activity of non-conscious neurons during the activity of conscious neurons. As the activity of non-conscious neurons declines, conscious neurons cannot carry out enough activity.
5. Sleep is the inactivity of conscious neurons caused by the influence of non-conscious neurons.
6. A dream is the psychological phenomenon in which non-conscious neurons act (as if conscious neurons might act) during the inactivity of conscious neurons.
7. Awakening is the activity of conscious neurons caused by the influence of non-conscious neurons. The two definitions of awakening do not contradict.
To display that consciousness is generated by the activity of conscious neurons, I further consider two kinds of clinical observations. There is a clinical case in which the disturbance of consciousness is not necessarily caused in spite of organic lesions in a wide area of the brain. For example, a stroke occurs and consequently agnosia, aphasia, sensory paralysis, and motor paralysis are caused. However, a disturbance of consciousness is not caused. In contrast, regarding various metabolic disorders, metabolites produced by disorders are likely to cause the disturbance of consciousness. However, if the metabolic disorder improves and the disturbance of consciousness improves along with that, no sequela remains in other brain functions. Therefore, it is unlikely that bad influences by other brain areas cause disturbances in consciousness. Thus, even if a wide area of the brain where non-conscious neurons present might be damaged, a disturbance of consciousness is not caused. Moreover, as in the metabolic disorders, even if the disturbance of consciousness might be caused by the specific damage of conscious neurons that support the locality of consciousness, it is considered that this disturbance of consciousness is not based on the influences of other brain regions. Although the location of conscious neurons is not clearly identified at present, the following idea can become a good reason: conscious neurons that are localized somewhere in the brain are damaged and the disturbance of consciousness is caused thereby.
The disturbance of consciousness is caused by a decline in the activity of conscious neurons. In contrast, the strength of the awakening degree is not only based on conscious neurons but also influenced by non-conscious neurons. In other words, awakening and sleep are caused by the approach of non-conscious neurons to conscious neurons. Non-conscious neurons are not tired as conscious neurons. Even if conscious neurons are allowed to rest, it is rare that non-conscious neurons simultaneously rest. Rather, it is considered that there is the following pattern: non-conscious neurons do what should be done during the rest period of conscious neurons, and after finishing, non-conscious neurons press conscious neurons for awakening. However, in the case of memory disorders such as dementia, non-conscious neurons cannot fully work and cannot give a rhythmic order of awakening and sleep to consciousness. Therefore, conscious neurons cannot awake when they should awake and cannot rest when they should rest. In the former, clear awakening does not occur and somnolence tendency is caused. In the latter, the order of rest by non-conscious neurons becomes a halfway state and insomnia is caused. Therefore, somnolence and insomnia are not caused by the disturbance of conscious neurons, but the disturbance of non-conscious neurons that present around conscious neurons and induce stimulus of awakening and sleep in conscious neurons.
What awakening and sleep share is not consciousness (conscious neurons) but non-consciousness (non-conscious neurons). If awakening and sleep share consciousness (conscious neurons), the question of what separates awakening from sleep arises. It is not possible to solve this question. It is natural to think that consciousness (conscious neurons) separate awakening from sleep.
Why are similar brain waves observed during awakening and REM sleep (by TMS electroencephalograph)? Moreover, why does an individual recognize himself/herself dreaming in a dream? These are very natural questions. I am going to answer these questions.
The similarity in brain activities during awakening and REM sleep is produced not by consciousness (conscious neurons) but by non-consciousness (non-conscious neurons), which presents in preconsciousness, namely, preconscious neurons. Preconsciousness is a gathering of professional memory, imitation, and learning. Preconsciousness absorbs most of the work of consciousness (conscious neurons) completely. Therefore, brain activities during awakening and sleep become similar, but they are not exactly the same. Although a slight difference is provided by consciousness (conscious neurons), it might be difficult to understand this slight difference due to brain waves. (Incidentally, I want to call preconscious neurons "self" neurons. I will introduce this in another site).
If consciousness (conscious neurons) induces the state where an individual recognizes "himself/herself having a dream," what neurons induce the state where an individual recognizes himself/herself as one who recognizes "himself/herself having a dream"? The answer to this question will be introduced on another page.
Studies on consciousness and awakening can be distinguished in two ways. One is an approach aimed at defining the overall framework of consciousness (conscious experience), and another is an approach aimed at clarifying the real identity of consciousness. In other words, the former makes the boundary of consciousness an issue, and the latter makes the mechanism of consciousness an issue.
An approach to defining the overall framework of consciousness (conscious experience) is submitted as an issue of the boundary of consciousness (conscious experience). Incidentally, it is advocated that "uniformity" and "individualization" are characteristics of consciousness (conscious experience). This idea has the same meaning in not only philosophical study but also scientific study. If consciousness can be quantified (uniformity and individualization of consciousness can be defined), the issue of consciousness (conscious experience) can be easily dealt with. The circumstance where consciousness can be defined in such a way yields a merit that awakening can also be defined by a quantity. Of course, it might become easy to aim at creating artificial consciousness. However, it is necessary to verify strictly whether the quantification indicates real consciousness (conscious experience) or not. On that point, there is always concern over the origin of the study.
In contrast, the work to clarify the real identity of consciousness (conscious experience) is the idea to ascertain, based on biology and from the brain neurological characteristics, the principle and essence of consciousness and awakening in the structure abd function of located conscious neurons and the mutual relationship between conscious neurons and preconsciousness (preconscious neurons). However, unless a conscious neuron can be discovered, this approach will be sure to run into difficulties. Then, even if conscious neurons cannot be discovered, the mechanism of consciousness can be revealed by elucidating the circumstances around consciousness (conscious neurons), namely, the issue of self-consciousness as the theme of dealing with "subjectivity and objectivity," which non-conscious neurons create. Accordingly, the causal relations among emotion, consciousness, language, and mind can be elucidated. (I have already elucidated it). Thus, it might be possible to try create an artificial mind with linguistic consciousness.
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